U.S. patent number 5,690,132 [Application Number 08/773,115] was granted by the patent office on 1997-11-25 for catch-free safety umbrella.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Fu Tai Umbrella Works, Ltd.. Invention is credited to Jung-Jen Chang, Chung-Kuang Lin.
United States Patent |
5,690,132 |
Lin , et al. |
November 25, 1997 |
Catch-free safety umbrella
Abstract
A safety umbrella includes: a lower runner for pivotally
connecting the ribs of the umbrella slidably held on a central
shaft of the umbrella and formed with a latch hole in the lower
runner; a controller formed in a grip of the central shaft having a
push button normally protruding outwardly from the grip, and a
latch connectable with the push button and resiliently urged by a
restoring spring retained in the grip for operatively engaging the
latch hole in the lower runner for locking the lower runner and the
ribs at a folded condition, to thereby eliminate a long slot cut in
the shaft above the grip to prevent deformation or damage of the
shaft and to eliminate the acute spring catch formed in the shaft
to prevent injury to the umbrella user as stuck by the conventional
spring catch.
Inventors: |
Lin; Chung-Kuang (Taipei Hsien,
TW), Chang; Jung-Jen (Taipei Hsien, TW) |
Assignee: |
Fu Tai Umbrella Works, Ltd.
(Taipei Hsein, TW)
|
Family
ID: |
25097250 |
Appl.
No.: |
08/773,115 |
Filed: |
December 26, 1996 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
135/24; 135/28;
135/38 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A45B
25/08 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A45B
25/08 (20060101); A45B 25/00 (20060101); A45B
025/14 () |
Field of
Search: |
;135/22-24,28,25.33,37,38,39,40 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Mai; Lanna
Claims
I claim:
1. A safety umbrella comprising:
a central shaft having a grip formed on a hollow lower tube of the
central shaft, said grip having a central hole formed in an upper
central portion of said grip;
a rib means for securing an umbrella cloth thereon having a runner
of the rib means slidably held on said central shaft; and
a control means formed in the grip for controlling the opening or
closing of the umbrella;
the improvement which comprises:
said runner including an extending sleeve protruding downwardly
from said runner having a latch hole formed in the extending
sleeve; and
said control means including: a push button slidably held in a
button hole transversely formed in the grip adjacent to a first
side of the grip; a latch resiliently held in said lower tube of
the central shaft to normally resiliently protrude outwardly
through an inner latch hole formed in the lower tube to be confined
in the central hole within the grip towards the second side of the
grip opposite to the first side of the grip; a restoring spring
resiliently retained in the lower tube for normally urging the
latch outwardly for engaging the latch hole formed in the extending
sleeve of the lower runner when folding the umbrella by lowering
the extending sleeve of the lower runner into the central hole of
the grip; and a transmission member seesawly pivotally mounted in
the lower tube by a pivot having a depression end formed on a lower
end of the transmission member and protruding towards the first
side of the grip to be opposite to the latch end and to be normally
contacted with the push button, and having a latch end formed on an
upper end of the transmission member to connect the latch, with the
latch and the latch end of the transmission member normally
resiliently urged by the restoring spring to protrude the latch
outwardly towards the second side of the grip and to seesawly bias
the depression end formed on the lower end of the transmission
member outwardly towards the first side of the grip to
simultaneously urge the push button outwardly beyond the button
hole of the grip, ready for a depression by an umbrella user for
opening the umbrella from a folded or closed umbrella.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A conventional umbrella as shown in FIG. 6 includes a lower runner
L slidably held on a central shaft S, a spring catch C resiliently
secured in a hollow tube portion of the shaft S above the grip G of
the umbrella, whereby when lowering the runner L to allow the hook
H of the catch C to engage a hook hole L1 cut in the runner L with
the hook H protruding outwardly through a hook hole S1 formed in
the central shaft S, the runner L with its pivotally connected ribs
R will be locked at a folded condition of the umbrella. Upon
depression of a push button P formed on the catch C which is
protruded outwardly through the button hole S2 formed in the shaft
S to disengage the hook H from the hook hole L1 formed in the
runner L, the umbrella can then be opened by upwardly raising the
runner 1.
However, the central shaft S is cut with a lengthy slot for forming
the hook hole S1 and the button hole S2 to thereby weaken the
strength of the central shaft S, easily being deformed, damaged or
even broken especially when subjected to a larger external force.
Meanwhile, the hole S1, S2 cut in the shaft S to protrude the acute
hook H or catch C may easily stick or injure an umbrella user. The
push button P is positioned above the grip 12 to influence a
depression of the button P when the user's hand already holds the
grip 12, causing a depression inconvenience.
The present inventors have found the drawbacks of the conventional
umbrella, and invented the present safety umbrella to improve or
overcome the drawbacks of the conventional umbrella.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to provide a safety umbrella
including: a lower runner for pivotally connecting the ribs of the
umbrella slidably held on a central shaft of the umbrella and
formed with a latch hole in the lower runner; a controller formed
in a grip of the central shaft having a push button normally
protruding outwardly from the grip, and a latch connectable with
the push button and resiliently urged by a restoring spring
retained in the grip for operatively engaging the latch hole in the
lower runner for locking the lower runner and the ribs at a folded
condition, to thereby eliminate a long slot cut in the shaft above
the grip to prevent deformation or damage of the shaft and to
eliminate the acute spring catch formed in the shaft to prevent
injury to the umbrella user as stuck by the conventional spring
catch.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an illustration showing an opened umbrella of the present
invention.
FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a sectional drawing showing a locked runner according to
the present invention.
FIG. 4 shows a step for opening the umbrella of the present
invention from FIG. 3.
FIG. 5 shows another preferred embodiment of the present
invention.
FIG. 6 shows a conventional umbrella structure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
As shown in FIGS. 1-4, a preferred embodiment of the safety
umbrella of the present invention comprises: a central shaft 1
having a grip 12 formed on a lower tube 11 of the central shaft 1;
a rib means 2 for securing an umbrella cloth U thereon including at
least a top rib 21 pivotally secured to an upper notch 20 formed on
a top portion of the shaft 1, a stretcher rib 22 pivotally
connected between the top rib 21 and a middle runner 23 slidably
held on the shaft 1, an auxiliary rib 25 pivotally connected
between the stretcher rib 22 and a lower runner 24 slidably held on
the shaft 1 and positioned below the middle runner 23 having a
tension spring 26 resiliently retained between the two runners 23,
24; an opening spring 3 resiliently held in the central shaft 1 for
opening the umbrella; and a control means 4 formed in the grip 12
of the central shaft 1. Other rib means 2 may be modified and not
limited in this invention.
The lower runner 24 includes an extending sleeve 241 protruding
downwardly from the lower runner 24 having a latch hole 242 cut in
the extending sleeve 241.
In order to absorb any vibrational shock caused by an external
force impacting the central shaft 1, the grip 12 of the present
invention is preferably made of plastic or other elastomer
materials. However, the materials for making the elements of the
present invention are not limited.
If the middle runner 23 is omitted in this invention, the lower
runner 24 may then be simply designated as "runner" or other
suitable names.
The control means 4 includes: a push button 41 slidably and
resiliently held in a button hole 122 transversely formed in a
middle portion of the grip 12 adjacent to a first side A of the
grip 12, a latch 42 resiliently held in the grip 12 adjacent to a
second side B of the grip (opposite to the first side A of the
grip) for operatively engaging the latch hole 242 formed in the
extending sleeve 241 of the lower runner 24 when lowering the lower
runner 24 for folding the umbrella as shown in FIG. 3, a restoring
spring 43 resiliently retained in a spring socket 123 recessed in
the grip 12 adjacent to the second side B of the grip 12 for
normally urging the latch 42 towards an axis 10 of the central
shaft 1 for engaging the latch 42 with the latch hole 242 formed in
the lower runner 24, and a transmission member 44 connected between
the push button 41 and the latch 42 and slidably transversely
formed in the button hole 122 of the grip 12 having a vertical hole
45 vertically formed in the transmission member 44 for slidably
disposing around the extending sleeve 241 of the lower runner 24
when downwardly slid to allow the engagement of the latch 42 with
the latch hole 242 formed in the extending sleeve 241. The push
button 41 as connected with the latch 42 is normally protruded
outwardly towards the first side A as also urged by the restoring
spring 43, ready for a depression D by an umbrella user.
The grip 12 is formed with a central hole 121 recessed in an upper
portion of the grip 12 for inserting the extending sleeve 241 of
the lower runner 24 when lowered for folding the umbrella. The
inside diameter of the central hole 121 in the grip 12 should be
slightly larger than an outside diameter of the extending sleeve
241 of the lower runner 24 which is slidably disposed about the
lower tube 11 of the central shaft 1.
As shown in FIG. 3, when closing or folding the umbrella by
lowering (D1) the runner 24 and the extending sleeve 241, the latch
hole 242 will be engaged with the latch 42 resiliently held in the
spring socket 123 formed in the grip 12 to lock the runner 24 at
its folded state.
Upon depression D of the push button 41 as shown in FIG. 4, the
latch hole 242 in the extending sleeve 241 of the lower runner 24
will be disengaged from the latch 42 which is simultaneously
retracted towards the second side B of the grip 12 when the push
button 41 is inwardly depressed D towards the second side B of the
grip 12, the lower runner 24 is now disengaged from the latch 42
and the umbrella rib means 2 and the runner 24 will be extended
upwardly by the opening spring 3 or by manual force to thereby open
the umbrella as shown in FIG. 1.
The lower tube 11 of the central shaft 1 above the grip 12 is not
cut with conventional catch or hook hole in the central shaft 1 to
thereby prevent any deformation or damage of the shaft 1 since the
strength of the shaft 1 is not reduced in the absence of any slot
or hole cut therein.
The outward protrusion of a conventional acute catch or hook beyond
the outer surface of the shaft 1 no longer exists, the sticking or
injury to the umbrella user will then be prevented, thereby
enhancing the safety of the umbrella.
Another preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown in
FIG. 5 by modifying the first embodiment as shown in FIGS. 1-4.
The control means 4 includes: a push button 41 slidably held in a
button hole 122 transversely formed in the grip 12 adjacent to a
first side A of the grip 12; a latch 42 resiliently held in a
hollow lower tube 11 of the central shaft 1 to normally resiliently
protrude outwardly through an inner latch hole 111 formed in the
lower tube 11 to be confined in the central hole 121 within the
grip 12 towards the second side B of the grip 12 opposite to the
first side A of the grip; a restoring spring 43 resiliently
retained in the lower tube 11 for normally urging the latch 42
outwardly for engaging the latch hole 242 formed in the extending
sleeve 241 of the lower runner 24 when folding the umbrella by
lowering the extending sleeve 241 of the lower runner 24 into the
central hole 121 of the grip 12; and a transmission member 44a
seesawly pivotally mounted in the lower tube 11 by a pivot 441
having a depression end 442 formed on a lower end of the
transmission member 44a and protruding towards the first side A of
the grip 12 through a lower hole 112 formed in the lower tube 11 to
be opposite to the latch end 443 and to be normally contacted with
the push button 41, and having a latch end 443 formed on an upper
end of the transmission member 44a to connect the latch 42, with
the latch 42 and the latch end 443 of the transmission member 44a
normally resiliently urged by restoring spring 43 to protrude the
latch 42 outwardly towards the second side of the grip and to
seesawly bias the depression end 442 formed on the lower end of the
transmission member 44a outwardly towards the first side A of the
grip to simultaneously urge the push button 41 outwardly beyond the
button hole 122 of the grip 12, ready for a depression D by an
umbrella user for opening the umbrella from its folded or closed
state.
After lowering the runner 24 and its extending sleeve 241
downwardly into the central hole 121 in the grip 12 to engage the
latch hole 242 with the latch 42 as urged by the restoring spring
43, the runner 24 will be locked at a folding condition of the
umbrella. Upon depression D of the push button 41, the latch 42
will be inwardly biased by the seesaw action of the transmission
member 44a to disengage from the latch hole 242, thereby unlocking
the extending sleeve 241 and the runner 24 and allowing the opening
of the umbrella.
The restoring spring 43 as shown in FIG. 5 includes a fixed spring
end 431 secured in the lower tube 11 of the central shaft 1, and an
actuating spring end 432 formed on a distal end of the spring 43
opposite to the fixed spring end 431 for resiliently urging the
latch 42 outwardly in order to catch the latch hole 242 of the
runner 24 when closing the umbrella.
The present invention may be modified without departing from the
spirit and scope of the present invention. The present invention
may be used for automatic umbrella, or manually operated umbrella,
not limited.
* * * * *